Investigating 30 years of land use and land cover dynamics in Eastern Hindu Kush: a geospatial study of the Swat River Basin, Pakistan (1988–2018)

Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) change has evolved as a central force behind environmental challenges and has gained great acknowledgment for its wide-ranging effects on biodiversity and ecosystem services. Mountains, including the mountainous belts of Pakistan, are particularly vulnerable to alterations in LULC resulting from deforestation and other anthropogenic activities. These changes have profound repercussions on the socio-ecological and biophysical environments of mountains. This research aims to investigate the spatiotemporal changes in LULC in the Swat River Basin (SRB), Eastern Hindu Kush, Pakistan. Assessments of LULC changes are crucial for gaining an in-depth understanding, formulating policy guidelines, and implementing conservation practices to address the environmental challenges faced by mountainous areas. The study is based on remotely sensed data and Geographic Information System (GIS) analysis. The temporal span (1988–2018) is divided into three periods and based on ten years interval, Landsat Satellite Images were acquired for 1988, 1998, 2008 and 2018. These images were processed and classified in ArcGIS 10.8. The analysis indicates varying trends in LULC changes over three periods. Forest cover increased by 52.5% in period 1 as a result of social forestry project but declined in periods 2 (-12.8%) and 3 (-18.8%). Contrarily, rangeland decreased by 63.9% in period 1 but grew in periods 2 (71.1%) and 3 (15.5%). Built-up areas expanded by 280%, barren land by 47%, agricultural land by 14.3%. However, snow cover consistently decreased. These alterations are mainly the result of bio-physical impacts, which highlight the urgent need for sustainable land management to mitigate the environmental impact of human activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]